Camelids from hunter-gatherer contexts of the Dry Puna in the Atacama Desert (Northern Chile): towards understanding human-animal interactions over time
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2022
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Abstract
The Dry Puna in extreme northern Chile lies between the Andean region's two main camelid domestication centers, a location that makes it particularly important to the study of human-animal relationships. This article presents a first synthesis of the archeozoological analysis of fourteen hunter-gatherer sites in the Andean foothills near Arica (Chile), the preliminary results of stable isotope analyses from two locations, and 35 associated radiocarbon dates. Researchers contrasted this data with other regional studies of lithic materials and rock art paintings. In synthesis, the article recognizes changes in consumption throughout Archean up to the Formative Period. It identifies the use of animals from the same area or with the same foraging pattern in the Puna and explores a "conservative" mobility pattern within the highlands. Finally, the changes in human-camelid interactions portrayed in rock art complement the vision drawn from bone fragment analysis, reflecting the importance of integrating different material and visual registers into discussions of these issues.
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archaeozoology, stable isotopes, Andean foothills near Arica, mobility